In Brief – May 2016

InnoviaFilms sells Celophane business to Futamaura: Earlier in April 2016, InnoviaFilms announced it had signed an agreement with Japanese plastics manufacturer Futamura Chemicals Co Ltd to sell its Celophane business and assets, including its NatureFlex bioplastics film production. Innovia Group, which manufactures high-tech film products for industrial applications and banknotes says it will further strengthen its focus on its fast-growing polymer bank note business. The deal is expected to complete before the end of June 2016.

DIN CERTCO offers certification scheme according to new French home composting standard: The French government recently introduced a ban on single-use plastic bags. From July 2016 on, bags will have to be bio-based and meet the requirements of a new French standard for home composting NF T51-800 (we’ve reported here). DIN CERTCO, one of the leading certification bodies for biobased and compostable plastic products in Europe and worldwide is the first to offer a certification scheme for the new standard. Products that meet the standards can acquire the license to bear the DIN-Geprüft home compostable mark.

New bio-based paint range: Mäder, a leading producer of paints and coatings, will launch its new range of bio-based alkyd paints using Biosuccinium™ from Reverdia, in collaboration with Roquette. The new innovative paint range is based on a blending of Reverdia’s Biosuccinium and Roquette’s POLYSORB isosorbide, a combination providing key physical properties, such as hardness and scratch resistance. Reverdia is the joint venture between Royal DSM, the global Life Sciences and Materials Sciences company, and Roquette Frères, the global starch and starch-derivatives company Biosuccinium and POLYSORB are commercially available bio-based materials.

Tetra Pak launches carton bottle with bio-based plastic: Tetra Pak has launched a new carton bottle in the US market with Just Water. The cap and top of the bottle are made from high-density polyethylene (HDPE) derived from sugarcane. Combined with the FSC-certified paperboard used for the main sleeve of the carton bottle, the renewable content of the bottle reaches 82 percent. Tetra Pak says the added plant-based materials do not impact the packaging’s recyclability.

European Bioplastics is the European association representing the interests of the industry along the complete bioplastics‘ value chain. Its members produce, refine and distribute bioplastics i.e. plastics that are either biobased, compostable, or both. More information is available at www.european-bioplastics.org or at the conference website http://en.european-bioplastics.org/conference/.